The Philippines Graphic's 30th Anniversary Issue

What an honor to be on the cover of The Philippines Graphic's 30th Anniversary Issue.

Read about my thoughts on art and writing as featured in "Writers in a Time of Lockdown" by Alma Anonas-Carpio, found within the pages. The Graphic is available in National Bookstore and 7-Eleven Outlets.

Locked In, But Not Locked Down

It's been a long time since I've blogged. Life has taken an odd turn. Some might say it's gone off the rails. If we look at the world as something we own and control, then yes, it certainly has. But if we think of ourselves as beings just passing through, then we can look at recent events and Covid-19 as part of inhabiting a living, breathing planet. We may have forgotten this, that despite the heights our intellect has reached, our bodies stand on moving soil and we breathe the same air in the atmosphere. We are not beyond Earth. We are dependent on it.

I believe this perspective is not a form of toxic positive thinking, as some might say. It does not discount the reality of pain and suffering. What this perspective brings to the fore is the fact that we exist in a world of action and reaction, of interdependence. And without awareness of these interactions, we will continue down the path of disease and self-destruction.

Studies point to the novel coronavirus as emerging from pangolins to bats to humans. When I was young, the elders have always warned me from touching strange animals, no matter how friendly they may seem. They had this innate sense of respect for creatures that live in a different world from ours. They mentioned that the animals may carry disease, of the obvious ones, rabies. While we cry, "Okay Boomer", we ourselves have forgotten to revisit their wisdom and have ended up like prodigal children suffering the consequences. It would be sad to hear the ancestors say, "We told you so."

We may be locked in our homes, but our minds are free to rethink our relationship with nature and our own nature--human versus consumer. Which are we? Which do we want to be? Are we doing our part in respecting the environment and in keeping our distance from others to prevent the further spread of disease? How do we want government to address the current pandemic and the future possibilities of the same? Which leaders do we want to have? Which leaders do we need? Especially in a future where the earth is wide awake, all the elements of disease, volcanic activity, quakes, and rising sea levels will be our undeniable reality, we have to rethink our position and act now.